Chrono Crystal
by Milaya Milen Zeal
Summary: *sequel to RWTD* Sometimes, just when you think everything's going fine, things take a turn for the worst. She was confused about what was real, and what was fake, and he was willing enough to help. But are they really ready to face the truth?
1. Calling

**__**

Chrono Crystal

A/N: This is a sequel to _Riding With The Dragons_ and follows the story of Vegeta's daughter. 

Disclaimer: I do not own the DB, DBZ, DBGT or CC, so please don't sue me.

Summary: Ciria is the only heir in the Viper Manor, and Vegeta and Bulma's only daughter. When she was young, she used to play with a young boy, but he died. Later, she finds herself in a place that is different from her own, where she must learn to face the truth, may she like it or not.

Copyright: All names that hold a © symbol are my personal possession and cannot be used in any other fics but my own unless I give permission.

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Chapter 1

"Good morning, Lady Ciria ©!" the flower lady said kindly as the young 19 year old girl walked over with two Dragoons by her side. 

The two guards were twins, one of them being male, the other female. Both had blood red spiked hair, both done in tight ponytails atop their head. Their eyes were of a dark blue color, and scrunched down to give them an imposing look.

The girl walking in between them had long flowing silver hair and sparkling silver eyes, and wore some loose lime green shorts that came to just above her knees, a lime-green tank-top, and a long dress over it that had a long slit running across the front up to her waistline. The dress had sleeves that ended in rings on her third fingers. Her hair was done in a nice braid that draped down her back. Around her neck, she had a lovely blue, crystalline necklace with small hexagons, shaped as a rose. People called it a sapphire rose, but she wasn't too sure what kind of gem it was.

"Good morning, Lisa, and I told you, call me Ciria! I mean, I come here every week! It's not such a big deal anyway!" the girl said with her lovely trained voice. 

She'd been training to learn a song she had learned from a long-time friend, which caused her to have a well-articulated voice. 

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to upset other customers," the blonde haired girl said, removing some locks from her eyes. 

The two Dragoons looked at each other with looks that others could hardly make out. 

Ciria chuckled, then said: "Well, you know why I'm here, right?" 

"Of course! Bellflowers, as usual huh?" Lisa asked kindly. 

"Yes." 

Lisa walked a little further into the store. When she came back, she was holding a bouquet of lovely purple flowers with a gold core, and silver spores. The morning dew was still on them, making them sparkle in the light of the morning. 

"Here you are, fresh from Fossil Valley! Picked them myself!" Lisa stated proudly.

The young girl squealed in delight. 

"Oh Lisa! Thank you! I'm sure Tric © will love these!" she said. 

Lisa smiled. 

"I'm sure he will. Give him my regards." 

Ciria paid for the flowers and together with the two Dragoons, she headed for the shrines to the east of Termina. The female Dragoon finally spoke up. 

"Ciria, why do you constantly go to the shrine once a week? I mean, it's not like Tric can hear you," she said. 

Ciria sighed sadly. 

"Lorelei ©, I don't think of him as dead. I just pretend like I'm visiting an old friend. And besides, I would never forgive myself if I ever forgot about him."

Lorelei was about to answer, when Ciria stopped. They had reached the shrines, and the Dragoons knew she wanted to talk to him, alone. They let her as she continued on her way, her easy step-in shoes lightly tapping against the ground in a steady rhythm. Finally, she stopped in front of a majestically-made sword, shimmering between black and white almost rhythmically. Ciria smiled at the dead bellflowers resting beneath the sword.

A small text was placed beside it on a stone.

__

R.I.P.

Our beloved Tric

Died age 9

No one can take

anything away from him

Nor can anyone give

anything to him

What came from the sea

Has returned to the sea

"Hi Tric! I brought you some bellflowers. Lisa picked them just for you, because I told her how much you loved these," Ciria said, and removed the old ones, replacing them with the new ones. 

She sat on her knees, smiling down at the flowers. 

"We used to go to Fossil Valley just to pick these, remember? Just the two of use. Just you and me. I know it was foolish to go alone, but the others would only steal our flowers. We were still so young." Ciria sighed sadly. "12 years… that's how much it's been since I last saw you. How would you look if you were alive today? You would be… 21 years of age, right?"

Ciria took a deep breath. 

"I've been practicing, a lot. Anja told me I was improving last time she came. That was about 6 months ago. I haven't heard anything about your mother recently, but I'm sure she's doing fine. Anyway, I'll show you how much I improved." 

With that, she began to sing, a tune so harmonious, that people began to wonder what it was and where it was coming from. The words carried over the wind, making everything vanish for only a short while. 

Finally, Ciria stopped. 

"I'll probably never be as good as you though. You were such a great singer. You taught me how to sing, how to hit the notes just right… before that panther demon came and took it all away from us!" 

Ciria began to grow angry, but calmed down. She began to tell him what had been going on lately, and the two Dragoons waited patiently. 

"I have to go now Tric, but don't worry, I'll be back," Ciria whispered and blew the grave a kiss before she left the shrines. 

She walked toward Lorelei and Leon ©, and nodded at them, showing she was ready to go. The three of them quietly left the shrines, not noticing the change in the wind. 

Ciria was staring straight ahead as she listened to some guy from a foreign land ask her for her hand, like so many others. The guy was handsome. He had brown hair and lovely sea-green eyes, but he wasn't what she had hoped for. Ciria wanted someone who could always remind her of Tric, but Tric had been one-of-a-kind. There was no one in the entire world like him.

Ciria's parents disliked the idea of her marrying him just as much, but she decided to hear him out. He was telling her about his land, and how he handled his people with care. Ciria however, wasn't interested, and when he was through, she shooed him away. 

"Nasty son of a bitch," Ciria's mother mumbled after he left. 

Ciria was a lot like her mother, for she also had silver hair and eyes, while her father had flaming black hair and pure golden colored eyes. She loved both her parents very much, for they wouldn't give her away to every prince or count that came in to steal her away. Her parents understood her, and allowed her to decide whom she was going to marry or not.

Leon and Lorelei had watched it all with mild amusement, but kept their mouths shut. 

"Papa, why do they all try? They know they have to be special to marry me," Ciria asked of her father. 

"They already think they're special, but they don't know what you find special," Vegeta answered, folding his arms over his chest.

Her father was dressed in some black pants with dark black boots and a long coat with white thin belts just below the chest area. He fought with an axe, while her mother was different. Her mother was dressed in a lime-green dress with gold snakelike patterns. The dress was long and dragged over the floor, but Bulma knew how to stay afloat a few inches above the ground. She battled with a dagger.

"They probably don't," a voice unfamiliar to Ciria's ears suddenly said. 

Into the room, stepped a man of about the same age as her father, with blood red spiked hair and pure emerald-green eyes, and had a large scar running over his left eye. He had a blue bandana tied around his head with golden patterns on it, and he was dressed in a black shirt under a leather vest that extended beyond his hips, and around his waist a black belt that held his leather vest neatly tucked against his body. His bottom was a pair of blue Bermudas with decorative patterns dyed near the hems. It was clear that he was from Arni. 

"Dad?!" Lorelei and Leon exclaimed at the same time. "What are you doing here?!" 

The man, now marked as the twin's father, chuckled and said: "Just seeing how you were all doing." 

Ciria looked a little confused. Who was that man? 

"Elvor ©! What a surprise to see you here!!" Bulma exclaimed. 

"Hey Bulma, Vegeta. How's it going here?" the man said with a nod at Ciria's parents. 

"I thought you were heading to Guardia?" Vegeta asked with a smirk. 

Elvor nodded and was about to say something, when he noticed Ciria.

Ciria gulped. 

"That's your daughter?" Elvor asked. 

"Yes, this is Ciria, Ciria, this is Elvor," Bulma said, placing her hands on Ciria's shoulders. 

Elvor nodded politely, and Ciria did too. 

"Anyway, just before I was about to leave to Guardia, we received word from Porre." 

Elvor pulled a letter from his pocket and gave it to Vegeta. Vegeta opened it and read the contents. 

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Vegeta said, looking up. 

"I'm not sure, but I figured you'd want to be the first to hear about it," Elvor said. 

The young girl was confused. 

"_Ciria…_" she suddenly heard, and she gasped softly. 

She looked around, but nobody seemed to have heard it beside herself. She shook her head and told herself to stop making things up.

"Welcome to Arni! Elvor!! You're back from Guardia already?!" one of the elder villagers asked. 

"I never left at all, ma'am, there had been a change of plans," Elvor said. 

Ciria was busy looking around the streets of Arni, where people were shouting loudly, selling fish, weapon- and armory, and Elements. The village reeked of fish, but she couldn't blame it. After all, Arni was a fisher's village. 

"C'mon Ciria! We'll introduce you to our mother," Lorelei said, and began to guide her friend through the crowds. 

Eneii © was a nice woman, and Ciria easily figured out where Lorelei and Leon got their eye-color. Eneii had lovely yellow hair and dark blue eyes, and she was about the same age as Ciria's parents. Lorelei, Leon and Elvor showed Ciria everything in Arni, from the docks, to the chief's hut. Also, they went to Lizard Rock to watch some Komodo Dragons play about, before they headed to the best of all places.

Opassa Beach.

"So Ciria," Leon began, "how do you like Arni? Quite the change from Termina, huh?" 

Ciria nodded. 

"It sure is," she said, sitting down on the sand. 

She watched the sea as it rolled in and out, constantly, never changing. 

"Hey, has anyone ever noticed that the sea never changes?" Lorelei suddenly asked. "It just keeps rolling in and out, and it has been for probably eons. Without a single care…" 

Elvor laughed silently. 

"Lorelei, the sea _does_ change, it's just that we humans are unable to see things of such small proportion. The water that washes ashore on this sand, could be water that has made a trip from Guardia to here, and reversed. You never know where the water will come from or go to." 

Leon chuckled. 

"Good point there, dad," he said. 

Ciria was about to comment too, when…

"_Ciria…_" 

Ciria got up and looked around. That voice again! And it sounded awfully close. 

"_Ciria…_"

She turned around, but no one was there. 

"Hey, you alright, Ciria?" Leon asked. "I-I-I-I thought I heard something, but---" 

"_Ciria…_" 

She whirled around, and faced the ocean. 

"Ciria??" Elvor asked.

Ciria was extremely confused, where was that voice coming from? Suddenly, without her wanting to, Ciria's thoughts shifted to _that_ day.

__

A young boy age nine was walking with her through Fossil Valley, picking bellflowers as they went, when something jumped out and the boy cried out in horrifying pain. 

Ciria gasped audibly, as she remembered. An odd feeling suddenly began in her stomach, and began to spread all over her body. Sparks and green waves flowed upward to surround her, shielding her as the world turned black. Ciria felt like she was suddenly sinking right through the ground, and when she landed on her feet, she fell over and fainted.

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Finally!! The long awaited (I hope) sequel to my famous story _Riding With The Dragons_. To understand this, read that story first. Before continuing with this, I hope to get (at least) ten reviews. If you have a question, ask away and I'll answer as best as I can with the next update.

Milaya Milen Zeal


	2. New Enemies, New Accomplices

Chapter 2

Ciria couldn't see anything; there was nothing but darkness. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she didn't want to move, couldn't move. She couldn't feel anything, like her nerves had been disabled. The young girl then came to a reasonable thought. She was probably just dead. She didn't bother, she hadn't felt pain, hadn't died slow and painfully, but fast and painless. Something in the back of her mind suddenly trickled, and then she could hear again.

She heard the sea crashing onto the shore with its small waves, the seagulls flying overhead, and the wind rustling through the trees. Pretty soon, she could feel again. She felt water hit her skin, the wind blowing over her body, making her shiver lightly. With a quiet groan, she opened her eyes, but still had trouble seeing things. After some time, her eyesight returned to her.

Ciria finally sat up, and looked around. She was alone; Opassa Beach was deserted beside herself. Silently, she rose, and looked around. 

'That's odd,' she thought, looking down at the sand. 'There are no other footsteps besides my own body-print.' 

"Body-print??" she mumbled aloud. "That's just plain old silly!!" 

With that, she whirled around, and headed toward Arni.

Arni was deserted when she arrived, and everything was ruined. The village still reeked of fish, only less horrible than before. Stalls were tossed about, like people had been in a hurry, and the footsteps on the ground indicated that there had been panic amongst the people before they had gone somewhere else. A mysterious wind picked up and brewed through the wrecked houses which were empty by the sound of it. Not a soul seemed to breathe in the small town, safe for Ciria herself.

"Hello?" Ciria called out. "Is anybody there?" 

No answer. 

"Elvor? Lorelei? Leon?" she tried again. 

Still no answer. 

She faced the facts. Something was horribly wrong here, and that wasn't all she realized. It was the only thing she feared most. She was alone.

"Come on guys!! This isn't funny anymore!! It never was!!" she shouted, her voice almost breaking, as well as her spirit when nobody answered. 

Things were starting to look bleak, and she began to shake her head in denial, but it didn't lift her spirit. With a rather loud sniffle, she grasped the small rose hanging around her neck.

__

"When… whenever ya need me… pla… place the rose under yer clothes and I… I'll be there fer ya…"

"Tric!! Don't leave me!! You can't do this to me!!"

"So… tired… g'bye… Ci…… ri…… a……"

"……!!! Tric!! No!!! Don't!! Not yet!! Please! Open your eyes just… just once more…! Please Tric!! I… I beg of you!"

One tear rolled down her young cheek as she sniffled again, then placed the rose under her clothes. She knew he had only meant it to cheer her up a little, for all those years, but she needed _some_ piece of comfort in this chilling wilderness. She had never felt more alone.

The second the rose touched her bare flesh, she shivered as the cold material connected with her chest. The wind suddenly changed angle, and Ciria knew from experience that something was wrong. Immediately, she reached into her dress, and her hand grasped the cool hilt of her katana. She'd hidden it safely so that people couldn't snatch it from her. Her eyes began to dart about, searching for any kind of movement.

He had heard them before she had and had gone out to see what it was. That's when he saw her. She had been close to crying, he could tell by just looking at her back, and then, when the winds had begun to shift, she seemed to stop and began to look around, one hand going into her dress. He figured that that was where she kept her weapon. 

He could not be seen in the darkness of the shadows, like a demon panther waiting to jump out and kill his unaware pray. Slowly, he moved through the shadows on all fours, staying hidden from sight, sneaking closer, waiting for _them_ to show themselves. He sniffed at the air, and could smell the scent of his pray, making him smirk in cold amusement and his eyes sparkle dangerously in anticipation like a pair of ice-cold gems. 

'This'll be fun,' he thought with a silent chuckle.

Ciria staid focused, and she finally heard a twig snap behind her and she whirled around, pulling out her razor-sharp katana. It didn't scare the people standing there though. 

They all wore the same armor, but they all had different looks. The armor was dark blue spandex and with a golden colored chest-plate, and bright white capes. The material seemed to cling to their bodies, like it was made for them. The footwear existed out of some loose green boots, with some red gloves on their hands to finish it off.

One of them was short and fat, and had a slight green complexion, like he was going to hurl any second. He had beady black eyes, he was balding, and he had strangely pointed ears. He seemed to hover a little above the ground as if he couldn't move otherwise. He had an axe strapped around his waist.

The second of them was tall and muscular, but he was bald as well, safe for a small braid at the back of his neck. The guy had no eyebrows, or a nose for that matter. His lips were larger than of an ordinary human, and the edges were directed down to form a frown, just like his dark black eyes, and he also had pointed ears. His arms were crossed defiantly over his chest. This guy had a sheath on his back that contained a huge sword.

The last of them… was a girl!! The girl was hardly any older than Ciria, and the only difference between her and the guys, was that she also wore a short skirt and her gloves were longer. She had light black hair and piercing blue eyes that threatened to turn black every now and then. She was beautiful, and really slender too. Ciria also noticed that the girl's gloves had iron knuckles. The girl's pointed ears perked from side to side constantly, and she had her cape slung partly across her left shoulder. 

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" the short fat guy said. "You lost little girl?" 

Ciria scowled, but didn't answer. She was wiser than that. 

The tall guy chuckled and said: "She looks pretty weak if you ask me. I say we have some 'fun' with her." 

Ciria didn't understand what the guy meant, but the way his eyes sparked, she knew it couldn't be good. 

The short guy snorted and said: "Maze ©, you really think with everything below your waist, huh?" 

"Ah shudap Noola ©!" the man, now known as Maze, said. "You act like you don't!"

A fight would've broken out, if the girl hadn't opened her mouth. 

"Hey guys! Just shut up! I have a better idea!" she said, oddly enough with a boy's voice, only with a tinge of modesty to it only found with girls. "Let's take her with us, and use her as bait for a certain band of thieves." 

Ciria still stood in a fighting stance, and didn't waver, though she was a little confused. 

"Not such a bad idea, Ames ©," Noola said. "SEIZE HER!!!" he shouted, and the other two took a few steps forward, and Ciria got ready to defend, when…

"HOLD YER SEAHORSES!!!" a loud voice shouted, and the trio whirled around toward one of the houses. 

Ciria looked too, confusion now written on her face. 

On top of the house, stood a boy a few years older than her, with pitch black hair with blood red strakes through it. His hair was long and easily reached his waist, but it waved about in the wind. He was rather solid considering his built, and he wore nothing but tattered or shredded clothes. The right leg of his black pants came a few inches above his knee, while the other came to the middle of his shin, and they seemed ripped by claws. His black shirt was torn apart at the right shoulder, and the left sleeve was torn off. 

Over it, he wore a heavy-looking black, leather jacket, and on his hands, he wore dark red gloves with the fingers cut off. The boots he wore were heavy looking and were pitch black. He had his right hand placed defiantly on his hip, while the other hung from his side, holding a large swallow that kept on changing its colors. Around his neck hung a necklace decorated with several teeth of what looked like a giant cat. His highly slanted sapphire blue eyes were scrunched down in a heavy frown, but a smirk was tugging at the side of his mouth, one he couldn't stop. His nose was rather sharp, and he wore a strange earring in his left-ear that was made with a tooth or claw from a large feline. His smirk seemed to widen when he saw their amazed gazes, and his eyes narrowed a fraction of a millimeter. 

"Not you again!!!" Ames growled. 

The boy bent through his legs, and jumped into the air. He flipped around and landed in a kneeling position in front of Ciria, his back facing the trio. He straightened up, and turned to the trio, who had taken a cautious step back. 

"Outta the way!! This doesn't concern you!! Move it!!!" Noola shouted. 

"Awe, shut yer trap!!" the strange boy said, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot on the ground. "Ye're the ones who'd betta ge' outta the way!" he said with a Zenean accent. 

Ames hissed and shouted: "You either get out of the way or we'll make you!!" 

The boy chuckled. 

"Like I'd take orders from some rabid bitch," he mumbled, a smirk playing on his lips. 

Ames, for some reason, became furious.

"YOU BASTARD!!!!" she screamed. "YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO THAT I'M A **_GUY!!!!!!_**"

Ciria nearly tumbled over in surprise. 

"Say what?!" she exclaimed. "THAT'S a _guy_?!?!" 

The odd boy chuckled lightly, not seeming bothered by anything Ames had said. 

"Yeah? Well I can't see tha," he said icily. 

"THAT'S IT!!! YOU'RE **_DEAD!!!!!!_**"

Ames shot himself at the odd boy, and he finally uncrossed his arms, and blocked a punch to his face with his swallow, and he kicked him away easily. Ames reached for his pouch, but noticed that it was a lot lighter than before. He checked the contents, and gasped, before turning to look at the boy, who was tossing a small bag of what sounded like coins up in his left hand. 

"Hey, ye're a fighter, righ'?" the boy asked Ciria. 

Ciria nodded. 

"Yes, why?" she asked. 

The boy smirked at her after placing the bag in his pouch. 

"Why do ya think?" 

Ciria blinked, then smirked too, though not as ferociously as the boy did. The duo turned to the weird trio, and raised their weapons in defense simultaneously, as if they were reading each other's thoughts. 

"FINE THEN!!!" Noola shouted. "ATTACK!!!!" 

With screams of anger, Ames and Maze raced at the other duo, who cried out as well, before running at them too. The strange boy was a strong fighter, for Maze hardly stood a chance. Ames wasn't that hard either. Compared to Ciria, he was extremely slow, so she got a lot of hits in. Noola also joined the battle at one point, but that didn't complicate things.

Within a few minutes, the trio was down on the ground. 

"RETREAT!!!" Noola shouted when he got up, and they ran like bats out of hell, with Ames screeching like a frightened girl. 

"Yeah! Ya'd betta run!!!" the boy screamed, running a short distance after them and waving his fist. "And next time, I won't just steal jus' yer money!!! Think I'll eva lose ta scum like ye!?!? HAH!!!"

He lowered his fist and nodded, then turned to Ciria, still with a stern expression on his face. 

"Ye alrigh' mate?" he asked as Ciria placed her katana away. 

"Y-y-yeah, thank you. Who were those guys?" she asked. 

The boy looked at her oddly. 

"I thought everyone on the isle knew o' them bozo's. Wha? Ya lost yer memory or somethin'?" he asked, and Ciria could hear he was starting to doubt her sanity. 

"I…" she started, trying to come up with a good excuse. "I think I have," she finally said. 

"Ah, tha explains it," he mumbled. "Got a name fer yerself?" 

Ciria gulped a little nervously. 

"No, but… I call myself 'Ciria'," she said. 

The boy seemed a little shocked, before it was gone. 

"Alrigh', then tha's how I'll call ya." 

The boy turned to the horizon, and Ciria did too, only to notice the sun going down already. 

"It'll be gettin' dark soon," the boy said, looking at her again. "I suggest ya find a house ta shag in fer the night, 'cause ya won't be gettin' anywhere tanight. And we won't want ya ta become Heckran bait now, do we? Heheh." 

Ciria nodded. 

"But… where do I…" 

Before she could finish, the boy grabbed her by her arm, and began to drag her through the village. 

She was too shocked to resist, for the boy's touch was so… familiar. Before she could think about it any further, he had stopped and released her arm. They were standing at the chief's hut. 

"Ya can sleep here. This place has the best beds." 

"Where do you sleep?" Ciria asked. 

"In the open," the boy answered, and began climbing the ivy on the side of the hut to the top. 

"Hey! I don't know your name yet!!" she shouted. 

The boy shouted back down:

"It's Shadow ©!!"

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Lot of confusion I suspect. This story is much like Chrono Cross, only slightly different. 

^_^ Some old reviewers from RWTD have returned!! [waves] Hey there!! 

Reviews

Bulma Briefs^Yue Lover: [bows] Thank you, thank you.

samicat: I'll try. And, DUH!!! Of course the Dragons are going to appear!!!

Ciria: Elvor retired a few years after Ciria had been born, and he had been too busy in Arni to visit them sooner. Nope, can't tell. Yes, you've met them in RWTD. And who do you think Shadow is? -_^

Casey: Right to the point, huh? Sorry, can't say. It would spoil the entire plot.

Ateens: I'm working as fast as I can!!

Neera: Thanks.

SaiyanGal: The voice will take a while. Tric was Ciria's best friend when she was a kid. Oh, and no, Porre's not attacking again.

Mina: I will.

Elvor: :( Shut up bushhead!!!

Zero: Thanks


	3. Dream Or Reality?

Chapter 3

Ciria awoke to the sound of birds outside, and she sighed, quite annoyed. Not for being awoken, but for knowing that everything was probably back to normal. She had probably only _dreamt_ to meet that 'Shadow' person, fighting Ames, Maze and Noola, and the abandoned Arni. On one hand, she was glad, but on the other, she was sad, for she had felt like she wanted to know that Shadow. She pulled the blanket over her head, but when she couldn't fall back asleep, she finally got out of bed.

First thing she noticed, was that this wasn't _her_ bed. Second thing, after she was a _little_ awake, this wasn't her room. Had it been… real? She looked around, not quite sure if she was still sleeping, or already awake and just daydreaming. Ciria grunted and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She gave a yawn, and stepped out of bed, smoothing out her clothes.

When she walked out, she looked around, searching for Shadow. No such luck. The village was empty and deserted, and after pinching herself, she knew that it wasn't a dream. "Shadow!!" she shouted. Silence rewarded her. She blinked in confusion, not understanding why he wouldn't answer her. Had he left her or something? Not that she'd blame him if he did, she never asked him to stay, but he could've said something to her.

With a sigh, she left Arni, intend on heading back to Termina. She wanted to figure out what else had changed.

About a few feet outside of Arni, she noticed footprints, heading toward Divine Dragon Falls. 

'That's odd…' Ciria thought. 'Those hadn't been there before.' 

And so, she followed them. She reached Divine Dragon Falls easily. A large fall stood in the center. There was a large log in the stream, and a fallen tree made the bridge to get onto higher grounds. And Shadow was there too.

He stood upon the large log in the stream, balancing himself on his toes surprisingly. He was facing the water, his back turned to her, but she could still see part of his face. He had his eyes closed, and looked slightly calm, although he was still frowning. Ciria noticed that his swallow was now strapped around his back, and his arms were down to his side. 

"What are you doing?" she finally asked, and Shadow didn't even flinch. 

He turned his head around, opening his eyes, and said: "I was meditatin'. And I don't have time ta chat! I have ta leave ta Termina, befere we head ta Marbule." 

Ciria watched him as he turned back around with his head. She waited for a moment, and when he said no more. 

"Can I go with you?" she asked. 

Shadow looked at her from the corners of his eyes, then sighed. 

"I mean, I have nowhere else to go," Ciria said. 

She figured that this world was not a dream, but the way she'd been living before. Who was she? She had thought her name had been Ciria, but she wasn't sure. However, she could still remember everything from that dream. Most things even up to the slightest detail. She was really starting to confuse reality with a dream, but which was the dream, which was reality? She had no idea.

"Whaeva!" Shadow mumbled, bent through his knees, and backflipped, landing behind Ciria, who whirled around in shock. 

"Whoa! Nice jump!" Ciria complimented, seeing as the log was 7-8 feet away from her. 

And speaking of long. Now that Ciria had the time to study him carefully, she noticed he was pretty damn tall! He stood at least a foot above her.

"Le's go already!" Shadow mumbled, and began to walk off, with Ciria following him.

The trip to Termina was a silent one, and Ciria lost hope that this was still just a dream. Shadow didn't seem to notice that she was quiet. As a matter of fact, he didn't even seem to realize she was still around. It was frightening. 

"Shadow?" she asked. 

Shadow hardly moved, safe for his calm steps. 

"Shadow?" she asked again, a little louder. 

Still no response. 

"Sha---" 

"I HEARD YA ALREADY!!!" Shadow suddenly screamed, whirling around to face her. "Wha?!" he demanded. 

Ciria gulped nervously, and Shadow didn't seem to care.

"Um uh… have you, well… known the name I gave myself?" she asked. 

Shadow watched her with an angry gaze, before looking in front of him. 

"…Ciria Viper had been the heir ta Viper Manor, but she's been killed 12 years ago." 

Ciria heard that one sentence, and all her hope shattered.

Her life had been a big lie. Nothing but a dream she'd had and had started to believe. Why did that have to happen to her? She thought she'd had the perfect life, safe for the fact that she'd lost a friend (or even more than a friend), and now it all seemed to be a dream.

"Helloooo!! Earth ta Ciria! Contact!" Ciria heard and saw a hand waving in front of her face. 

"What??" she asked, dazed. 

"Ya were all spaced out! Why's tha?" Shadow asked, before they continued to walk through Fossil Valley. 

"Nothing… it's just… I thought I knew who I was. I still have memories of who I was supposed to be," Ciria mumbled, and Shadow looked at her a little oddly. 

"Ye're not makin' any sense, girl," Shadow mumbled. 

Ciria sighed, and was about to explain, when she banged into Shadow, who had abruptly stopped dead in his tracks. 

"Shadow, wha---" Ciria started to ask, but was cut off with a hand slapped across her mouth. 

Shadow shushed her by placing his finger over his mouth, indicating her to be quiet. Ciria nodded, and Shadow removed his hand. 

"More o' the bloody bastard's men," Shadow hissed, pulling Ciria behind a rock. 

"Whose men?" Ciria asked in confusion. 

"I'll tell ya later," Shadow mumbled, and peeked around the side of the rock. 

Ciria somehow managed as well.

Ciria saw creatures of the weirdest kind walking about, seeming to be on guard duty. They were large and scaled, but wore armor for seemingly extra protection. 

"What are those?" Ciria asked. 

"Crushers," Shadow answered with a hiss. "Stay back, I'll handle them bozos!" 

Almost unnoticeable, Shadow sneaked closer to the things he called 'Crushers'. Surprisingly, he could hardly be seen in the dark of the shadows.

'Hmmm… maybe that's why he's called 'Shadow',' Ciria thought to herself, keeping a close eye on him, while staying out of view as well. 

A sudden flash of colored light followed, and some of the Crushers turned around, before their horrifying screams echoed across Fossil Valley. Ciria gasped in utmost horror as Shadow killed the Crushers, one by one. He slashed their appendages off, sliced them in half, or even _ripped_ off their heads. After a while of this, Ciria turned her back on it, closing her eyes and slapping her hands over her ears. The sound penetrated through her ears, and Ciria clutched her head in agony. 

The sudden silence that followed was shocking. Ciria removed her hands, opened her eyes, and listened. She peeked around the rock, and noticed Shadow holding one of the Crushers' pouch in his hand, searching it for something. Finally, he smirked and pulled out a money bag, dropping the pouch in the process.

Ciria walked over, looking a little confused. 

"What are you going to do with that?" she asked curiously. 

"It goes ta people who _really_ need it!" Shadow said with a glare still on his face. "Now gimme a hand already!!" 

Shadow continued robbing the dead Crushers of their loot. After gulping down the lump in her throat, Ciria bent down beside one of the Crushers, avoiding to look at anything but the guy's pouch. She put her hand in and felt around for awhile until---

Ciria cried out in fear as a large rat jumped out, aiming at her face with a shriek of fury. A sudden fist threw it away, and the rat landed flat on its face. It jumped back up, facing Shadow, who was kneeling in front of Ciria, in an odd cat-like position. It shrieked in anger, making its hairs stand on end like a cat. Instead of backing down, Shadow released something that sounded like the roar of a highly familiar animal to Ciria.

__

A large roar, and a scream of pain as the demon panther embedded its poisonous teeth in the boy's shoulder. He screamed in absolute pain and anguish.

The rat squeaked, and ran, tail between its legs. Shadow arose from the ground, dusting himself off. Ciria was left in a daze. She knew it wasn't supposed to be real, but the pain in her heart was terrible. Why was that dream affecting her so? 

"Oi! Ya gonna ge' back ta yer feet or wha?!" Shadow asked, annoyed by the sound of it. 

"Huh? Oh, sorry…" Ciria muttered, getting to her feet. 

How was she supposed to live with a dream? 

"Wha the Bloody Hell's the matter with ya?! Why the long face all o' a sudden!?" Shadow demanded. 

Ciria sighed and said: "I just feel like I've been living a dream." 

Shadow blinked, one eyebrow raised. 

"Come again?" he asked, confusion clear in his voice.

"It… it's hard to explain," Ciria whispered. 

"Then wait 'til we reach Termina!" Shadow said, the confusion instantly gone. 

"But then I expect ya ta tell me wha ya mean!" Ciria nodded sadly, having expected that. At least she'd be able to talk about it with somebody.

They continued on their way, neither speaking a word to the other as the sun reached high noon already. Ciria was unsure of herself. Why was that dream haunting her so much? She had no idea, but she just couldn't get the dream from her head. Everything was so clear in her mind, that she could've sworn it had happened yesterday. But she knew it had never occurred before. 'Though I wish…' she thought.

__

The clashing of wood against wood sounded as the two boys battled with their wooden swords. The younger of the two kids smirked, his dark blue eyes sparking, while the other boy was not enjoying the battle at all. 

"Come on already! Stop being a baby and fight!" the younger of the two shouted, and ran forward, sword in hand. 

The elder of the two gave a yelp and blocked the wooden sword. 

The fight lasted for quite some time, before she finally walked over, hands behind her back. 

"Hey guys! How's it going?" she asked with a smile. 

The boys stopped their fight and looked over at her. The two other girls, who had also been watching the battle, walked over, smiling. 

"Ciria! What are you hiding?!" the redhead asked. 

Ciria chuckled and said: "Guess!" 

The black haired girl smiled broadly and asked hopefully: "What be?! What be?! Viper Churros?!" 

Ciria laughed softly. 

"Nope! Guess again, Kireas ©! Are they really that good?" 

Kireas nodded wildly. 

"Me can eat handful!" she said in fractured English. 

The elder of the two boys laughed and said: "Kireas, them Churros were iron rations fer the Acacia Dragoons." 

The younger of the two looked at Ciria and asked: "I give up, what'd you bring us?"

Ciria smiled and showed them what she had. 

"Tada! I found these at Fossil Valley! Pretty huh?" she said, showing them the different colored flowers she was holding. 

Kireas looked down. 

"Shoot! Just dumb flower!" she mumbled, kicking the ground. 

"Oh my gosh!! They're pretty!!" the redheaded girl said with a squeal. 

"Here, Lorelei," Ciria said, handing the girl a fiery red one. 

Lorelei squealed again.

"I know Kireas doesn't like these, so…" Ciria started, but Kireas whirled around. 

"Ah, you go through much trouble getting flower. Me take one," she said. 

Ciria smiled, and handed Kireas a lovely pink one. Kireas smiled brightly. 

"Me plant this! Plant then grow fruits!" 

Everyone laughed. 

"Oh, Kireas! I don't think it'll sprout any fruit," the youngest boy said.

Kireas smiled and gave them the peace-sign. 

"No know if no try!!" she said with a wink. 

Ciria still held three flowers, each a different color, and was deciding which to give to whom. She smiled and walked over to the younger boy. 

"Here Leon, I know you don't like flowers, but these are really nice!" Ciria said, handing him a yellow one. 

"Um uh… thanks," Leon mumbled.

She smiled and walked over to the eldest boy. He'd placed his sword down on the soil, and smiled shyly at her. 

"Hey," she said. 

"'Ey," he replied right back. 

"This one's for you," she said. "I saw that one, and I thought… it fits your eyes." 

He stared down at the flower, a little confused, before sniffing at the flower. 

"Smells nice," he said, smiling. "Wha kinda flower's this?" 

Ciria shrugged and said: "I think it's called a 'Bellflower'. Do you like it?" 

"Yeah," he said. 

She smiled sadly. Ciria looked at Shadow, and took in his face for a moment. He looked so… familiar. But she knew that was impossible. She turned back to the road, looking ahead.

Termina quickly came in sight, but to Ciria's mind, everything was different. Instead of the cheery houses standing at the edges of the town, plenty of houses were torn down, some half, some completely, people still went onto the streets, but only to go to stores and shops, never to have fun. They were pale and looking like nothing would ever go right again. No one seemed willing to fight whatever put them in this mess.

Ciria sighed, when her stomach started to protest. Shadow looked at her in confusion. 

"Oh, through all that mess at Arni and Fossil Valley, I completely forgot to eat! Great!" Ciria mumbled. 

Shadow simply rolled his eyes and said: "Then le's eat!" 

"I still don't understand why there are no chairs around here," Ciria said, before taking a bite of her Squid Gut Pasta. 

Shadow didn't answer, he simply ate his own portion. 

People seemed to know him pretty well here in Termina, because some times they looked his way, and he gave them a calm nod back. The result was having them smile and turn back to their own food for the rest of the time. Ciria was just glad she wasn't alone. A world where she was alone and had no knowledge of what had happened, would've made her utterly depressed. 

"Ya gonna tell me wha ya were talkin' 'bout?" Shadow suddenly asked, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. 

"Huh??" Ciria asked. 

Then she remembered. 

"Oh! Oh, yeah sure." 

She cleared her throat, a nervous habit she had. 

"To be honest, I sort of lied. I still remember who I am, but right now, I'm not all too sure. Because if what you said is true, then I can't possibly be who I think I am. So I guess I've been living a dream. And I actually believed it was real," Ciria whispered, trying her best not to cry. 

She didn't realize that Shadow was looking at her with a look no one would be able to decipher if they tried. He took a bite of his Squid Gut Pasta, digesting the info he had just received.

"You probably think I'm a sissy, huh? Crying over something as worthless as a dream," Ciria asked. 

Shadow calmly chewed on the pasta in his mouth, thinking his answer over, before swallowing. 

"No."

Ciria stared at him in shock. 

"You don't?!" she asked. 

"No," Shadow repeated, taking a sip of his wine. "In me opinion, dreams are very important. They can tell us wha we want, or who we really are. Dreams tell ya yer greatest desire, whether ya admit it or not. They've been tellin' mine fer years." 

Ciria looked shocked. 

"Whoa. I never would've thought you to be the dreaming type," she said, smiling. 

"Ya don't know me 'nough then, do ya?" he asked slyly, before taking another bite of pasta. 

Ciria smiled and took a bite herself. 

After she swallowed, she said: "You're right. I don't." 

Shadow chuckled quietly.

"Boat gets here tamorrow," Shadow said as they paid for a room at the Inn. 

People were friendly, but everyone was down. 

"Ch. They all gave up on dreamin' a long time ago." 

Ciria nodded. 

"I can tell," she said. 

They entered their room, and saw that there were two beds. 

"Hey Shadow, what would you have done if there'd been one bed?" Ciria asked, curious to find out what kind of guy Shadow was. 

"I dunno," Shadow mumbled. "I'd probably sleep on the roof or somethin'. Or I'd go back and order an extra bed." 

Ciria smiled. 

"I get the right bed!!" Ciria said, and jumped on the right bed. 

Shadow rolled his eyes and took the left bed after setting his swallow beside it. Ciria placed her katana on the nightstand, before crawling under the covers. 

"Goodnight Shadow!" she said, smiling, before falling asleep quickly. 

Shadow watched her, then stood up and walked over to her. He carefully studied her face, watching her silver colored hair spill over her face. "Yeah," he whispered, then walked to his bed and lay down. 

"G'night," he mumbled, and fell asleep.

*************************

Howdy people!! ^_^ I'm back!! Sorry for the holdup!

Anyway, does anyone have an idea who Shadow is/might be? I'm curious about the results. :)

[Quick note: A lot of people pronounce 'Tric', as 'Trick', but that's wrong!! You say 'Tris'!! Got it?!]

Reviews:

The Mad Orange: Thanks for the compliment. 

Bulma Briefs^Yue Lover: Somewhere during a flashback in chapter 5… I think… [rereads story] Yep!! =)

SaiyanGal: Maybe. …… 0_0' Uh………^_^' thanks… I guess…


	4. Until We Meet Again

Chapter 4

Shadow woke up along with the sun, and got out of bed. He rotated his neck a few times, cracking the rusted joints. He then popped his knuckles, stretched, and grabbed his swallow. He never felt safe without it. He looked at Ciria for a moment.

"Nah!" he said aloud, and left the room, after putting his swallow in its sheath on his back. 

"'Ey!" Shadow said to the landlady. "If tha girl wakes up, tell her I'm at the shrines, alrigh'?" 

He couldn't go around calling her 'Ciria', because people would seriously flip at that name. 

"Sure," the landlady said with a nod. 

Shadow had almost walked out the door, when he turned around and looked at the landlady with one raised eyebrow and one hand on his hip. He passed one finger across his own lips, and finally left, not noticing the landlady smile.

People staid inside most of the day, but there were still a few people outside, but only doing necessary things. It had changed so much in so little time. Why could no one at least hope for a better future? He just couldn't understand it. People just gave up.

He sighed through his nose and rolled his eyes in irritation. He kept walking east, walking across the bridge. He stopped dead when he looked at the water. Shadow blinked and moved over, leaning over the railing, staring down, smirking. 

"Merpeople," he mumbled, watching the demi-humans swim upstream the river. 

Something suddenly slipped from a breast pocket, and he gave a yelp as he hurriedly caught it in his left hand. He straightened up and looked at the small trinket, smirking. 

'Well, it's not much, but at least it's _something_,' he thought, placing it back in his pocket. 

He looked down at the Merpeople again, a smirk still on his face. 

"Herr Shädow!!" a voice suddenly called out and he blinked, looking down. 

He smirked. 

"Hiya Shiva ©. Wha's up?" he asked the green mermaid. 

Shiva had pure blue hair, and a grass green fin, and her eyes were crystal clear. She wasn't really a fighter, but she would fight if she had to. And for the past few years, that had been a lot.

"Nöthing," Shiva said with a gentle smile. "I just wänted to säy hi!" 

Shadow shrugged. 

"Ya did, so, bye!!" he said, and left for the shrines. 

Shiva was nice to hang out with, but she could be annoying as Hell! Shadow didn't need anymore of that. He'd been through enough of that already. And all because of…

A growl escaped his throat as he clenched his fists. He lengthened his steps, and ended at the shrines much faster than he had intended to. He gave a shrug, placed his hands in his pockets, and began walking around the numerous shrines and burials. Most names meant nothing to him, but the silence around the shrines was a thing he adored. He just wandered about, the only sound he made being his feet touching the ground lightly. Finally, he stopped before a strange creature standing there, watching a shrine.

It seemed to not notice his presence. The creature was large and blue, had small arms and legs, its head was also the body, and had a green patch of hair atop its head. Shadow walked over, but the thing didn't respond. 

'Either he's real dense, or…' 

He looked at the creatures face and frowned. 

'Answer 2.' 

The thing was sound asleep, drool dripping from the corner of the creature's mouth. Shadow stood in front of the creature, arms crossed, and raised a foot.

Ciria yawned and stretched lazily. She felt better than she had felt yesterday, and she smiled. That Shadow. He was a cranky guy, but… 

'He's cute!!' Ciria giggled softly, and got out of bed. 'And he left without me again,' she thought with a frown, seeing the empty bed. 

She finally shrugged and picked up her katana.

All during the night, she'd been thinking about what to do, and finally, she'd come to a conclusion. She was going out and discover what was truth, and what was fake. She'd had enough of having everything being ready at her bidding while she didn't have to do anything for it. This time, she was going to work to get the truth she wanted, desperate to know what was real and what was false.

"Look out reality!!" Ciria said, punching one hand with a clenched fist. "Ciria Viper's here to find the truth!!" 

People were bustling about outside, and Ciria was confused. Why was everyone out all of the sudden? 

"Excuse me, young girl," Ciria heard and turned to the landlady. "If you're looking for your boyfriend, he said he went to the shrines." 

Ciria blushed at what the landlady said. 

"I-he-he's not my boyfriend," she stuttered. "Thanks for the help, gotta fly!" she said quickly and left. 

The landlady shook her head. 

"Kids these days."

Ciria found herself walking through the busy streets of Termina, surprised at how suddenly everyone had decided to come out of their houses. She looked around, confused, until she saw people working near the gate of Termina, hanging up a large banner.

'Oh! Right! Today's the day that Termina's exactly 1000 years old!! I completely forgot!!' she thought, smiling brightly. 

The party that people held would be held for five months. The parties in Termina were something Ciria enjoyed more than anything. If they were the same of course. Ciria shook her head, and beamed, before running through the thickening crowds toward the shrines.

She ran like the wind, smiling from ear to ear as she passed numerous stalls, watching people smile brightly as they sold their wares. All kinds of stuff, and Ciria stopped a few times to watch. With her hands clasped behind her back, she calmly walked down the streets, wondering why it couldn't be like that more often. That's when she noticed something.

The fortuneteller was standing there! On her usual spot! Ciria smiled. She used to go to the fortuneteller to see what her future would look like, whether or not she would find a friend like Tric in the future. She truly hoped so.

So, with a smile, Ciria walked over to her as she tried to set up her tent. 

"Do you need some help?" she asked, making the fortuneteller look up. 

"If that was possible," she started, but Ciria already started to help her. 

It took some time, but the tent was finally set up. 

"Whew! Thank you, little girl," the fortuneteller said. 

"Actually, I'm not really that little. I'm 19," Ciria said with a smile. 

The old lady smiled, and said: "Still, thank you. I have nothing much to give you. All I can give you is telling you your future." 

"Please tell!" Ciria said with a smile. 

The old lady shrugged and Ciria showed the woman her hands, which she took in her own gently.

"Hmmm…peculiar…" the old lady suddenly murmured. 

Ciria blinked. 

"What?" 

The old lady looked at her strangely. 

"Girl, you're not dead? Are you?" 

The silver haired girl blinked again, looking confused. 

She looked at herself and said: "I'm still walking around, so I can't be dead." 

"Hmmm… Maybe someone called you back from the great beyond for some unknown reason. Or there can even be someone who needs your help here," the old lady said, and Ciria stiffened.

She remembered at Viper Manor. A voice calling her name. Then again at Opassa Beach, moments before she fainted. And just then, Ciria understood. Somehow, while at Opassa Beach, someone had called her here, and was probably out somewhere, looking for her. Ciria finally understood what she was doing here. She finally understood why she was here. But she still did not know who called her here.

Well, she was going to find out!

Some kind of explosion was suddenly heard, and everyone stopped what they were doing to whirl around toward the harbor. 

"Man yer stations everyone!!" the flame haired man called out, his spiked red hair standing up with two locks hanging just beside his eyes. 

"Aye-aye Cap'n!" the crew called out. 

The Captain of the ship turned to face where the town of Termina laid, a smirk on his face. 

Things had been going just peachy for them. The large sails of the vessel held two different Dragons. One was the Dragon of Guardia, the other that of the Termina. Guardia's Dragon had large wings and feet, but no arms, while Termina's Dragon had claws on hands and feet, as well as wings, only it was a skeleton. And both Dragons were surrounded with lightning, water, and fire.

It was the symbol for the Radical Dreamers.

They had started in Zenan, where the war had started first. People suffered greatly, and some managed to escape to El Nido, while others joined the Radical Dreamers, but one child never made it there. The Radical Dreamers had found him a few years after the start of the war, near Porre, bloodied, bruised, and pissed off as Hell. The kid had actually battled them all… and won!!

He had been beyond angered, but the Captain had been able to calm the kid down when he said that they fought for the same goal. Also, the kid had fast hands. He could rob you blind before you even knew what happened. When the Radical Dreamers headed to El Nido, the kid had proven himself to be a worthy fighter. People from El Nido soon joined their band, but they once again had to escape. 

They found shelter in Marbule for awhile, where there were demi-humans willing to fight with them against the monsters that threatened to wipe everyone out. That was how they had become the group of thieves they were now. And they were all damned proud of it!!

"LAND HO!!!" the demi-human seated in the crow's nest called out. 

He was a half-feline, half-human kind, and he was one strong fighter too. Then again, everyone was. 

He looked over, and saw the city of Termina rising up against the horizon. He smirked, emerald eyes twinkling. He wore nothing but black leather clothing, which was embossed with emblems from Arni and Zenan. He had furious emerald eyes, and dark red hair that stood up in a flame, and he had two locks of hair hanging just above his eyes. There was a black ribbon tied around his forehead as well.

"Cap'n Vazo ©!" one of his former pirate gang said. 

Vazo turned, and said: "That's me. What's the deal?" 

"Everyone's ready ta cast ashore!" the pirate said, and Vazo nodded. 

"Good," he said. "Alright ya bunch of landlubbers!!" he shouted at the crew. "Lower the sail and cast ashore!! Remember people!! We have to be outta here before noon!! So let's hurry!! Because we be pirates of the S.S. Elysian!!!"

"Aye-aye Cap'n!!" everyone called out.

Ciria ran to the harbor, along with everybody else, although she had no idea why. When she saw the ship, she was awestruck. It was absolutely amazing!

Everything was black and red, and the symbol on the sails was one of a kind, before she no longer saw them. People watched as the people aboard the ship tossed lines to the people at the harbor, who tied the ship to the shore. 

"Drop anchor!" a booming, slightly familiar voice called out and the anchor of the ship zoomed down to smash through the sea's skin. 

That had probably been the captain. 

"Alright landlubbers!! Take out what we brought 'em! And move!!" the same voice screamed out. 

A large plank was kicked onto the land, and a few demi-humans walked down, carrying crates or bags, which they set down on the ground. 

When they opened them, Ciria gasped at the sight of the gold, silver and copper they had in there. All coins, and there were also pearl-necklaces, and all kinds of other jewelry. The pirates grabbed handfuls of treasures, and started throwing them into the crowd, making everyone jump up and down to grab all kinds of stuff. Everyone was so busy jumping, that no one thought of ducking, which was what Ciria was doing.

Ciria was picking up jewelry of all kinds, as well as a lot of gold and silver coins. She kept going on, until they stopped, and she stood up, smiling brightly after having placed her new stuff in her pouch. She had no idea who these guys were, but she was going to like them! 

Shadow calmly walked over, watching everyone jump around, trying to get _something_ from what the Radical Dreamers threw at them. He scanned the crowds, searching for any sign of silver hair, but finding none. He was slightly confused about that, but didn't bother with it for long. After all, he wasn't responsible for her.

He easily managed to get to the ship, and helped a few of the demi-humans unload the ship, without anyone noticing him. 

Finally, they were all done, and all pirates returned to the ship. Shadow watched the crowd, and suddenly noticed a speck of silver get up, and he smirked. 

"Yo kid," a familiar voice said as a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Anythin' new?" the captain asked. 

Shadow shrugged indifferently. 

"Not really. When're we leavin'?" he asked in return. 

Vazo chuckled a little and removed his hand. 

"In awhile," he said. "You're eager to leave." 

Shadow scoffed. 

"I jus' wan' this ta be over," he said, and headed for the bow of the ship. 

Vazo watched him as the kid climbed onto the bow, staring out to sea.

"So do we, kid, so do we."

"Hoist anchor and raise the sails ya landlubbers!! We're off ta Marbule!!" the captain shouted, after everyone left the harbor, safe for Ciria who watched in fascination. 

The sails were raised and the anchor came up from under the sea's skin again. Ciria watched in awe as the large oars suddenly began moving on their own, steering the ship away from Termina.

"HEAVE!!!"

"HO!!!"

"HEAVE!!!"

"HO!!!"

Ciria smiled, but when she looked at the bow, she gasped. 

Shadow looked at her, a frown on his face, before he turned to the sky, and roared that vicious feline roar again, throwing his head back violently. 

The young girl finally smiled and began waving at the ship as it got out of her sight.

When she could no longer see it, she turned on her heel, and was off into the world!

*************************

Alright. That's chapter 4. 

Reviews:

Bulma Briefs^Yue Lover: ………… I'm…… not…… going to…… comment on that.

The Mad Orange: THAT will be explained in the next chapter. 

SaiyanGal: Most of it will be explained later on. If I tell you now, I'll spoil everything.


	5. The Time Has Come

Chapter 5

Peace and quiet ruled across the shrines as the young silver haired girl walked past all the numerous burials. She had to know one thing for sure. Who knows? The thing she was looking for could just as well not be there. Most shrines were the same from the last time Ciria had seen them, so she didn't expect anything to be different. But something _was_ different.

There was a grave missing. The one Ciria had always visited every week.

Tric's grave was missing.

The waves calmly washed ashore on the crescent shaped isle, licking at the smooth rocks. The isle was incredibly high, and large, and people hardly came there. After the Dragons had all gone into slumber, the plant life on the isle had grown considerately, but no one dared to do something about it.

"HYAAAA!!!" a furious voice screamed, and a low treebranch suddenly found itself on the ground, and then kicked away into the waves. 

A white blur zoomed across the isle, and large parts of plant life that were unnecessary were easily taken care off.

Sky tossed his long white hair on his back after he finished, and looked around the isle, holding his SC-rapier in his hand. He had long manes of white hair, and was dressed in nothing but white. There was also a circlet around his head, with small Dragon wings on them. 

"Much better," he said calmly, and sheathed his rapier. 

He started walking up the stairs, not at all feeling like flying. He was still a little dazed from waking up about 15 minutes ago, but the gas's effect was starting to wear off.

He adjusted the circlet on his head a little, all the while continuing his path up the giant stairs. Unbeknownst to himself, he began humming an all too familiar tune. 

'The gas's really losing its effect now,' he thought with a smile once his head cleared and he reached the top of the stairs. 

He continued walking though.

"Bushhead!!" a familiar voice suddenly called out. 

He turned around, confusion written all over his face as the dark figure landed on the isle, immediately shifting to her smaller, and more weaker form. Even so, it was the form she liked most.

Her pitch-black hair hung loose on her back, and she wore some baggy black pants and a loose black shirt, along with some black sneakers. She had strange black markings all over her body, but they were slowly fading to an opaque color. There was a large diagonal scar on her face, running from above her right eye to a few inches below her left. Her eyes were of an indescribable color, but if you looked closely enough, you'd notice that they were actually made from every Element color. What he noticed right away, was that she was panting and paler than usual.

"Same, are you… okay? You look like you're ill," Sky said. 

Same didn't say anything for awhile, then said: "Yeah, and I feel ill too. I dunno wha's the matter with me, and Mura don't know either." 

Sky looked at her oddly, then walked over to her and placed a hand on her forehead. 

"You're burning up," he said, blinking. "You… don't think that…" he started, but Same shook her head. 

"Nah, I know _tha_ feelin' by now. This ain't the same. It's somethin' else," she said. 

Sky gave a soft sigh, then lowered his hand from her face. 

"But then what could it be?" he asked. 

Same shrugged, not knowing herself.

"Hey! You still owe us an explanation," Sky suddenly said. 

"Excuse me??" Same asked, blinking up at him. 

"You know what I'm talking about, Same!" Sky said, starting to get irritated. "What happened 12 years ago?!" 

"Oh, _tha_!" Same said. "It was nothin' important, trus' me." 

Sky frowned and was about to open his mouth, when---

The wind violently changed angle, and the two knew all too well what that meant. They instantly switched to their Dragon forms, and shot off into the sky, right before a whole troop of Crushers stormed up the stairs, destroying everything they found in their path. 

The two Dragons looked at each other, nodded, pulled out their weapons, and raced at the Crushers with loud roars of fury.

Ciria stood in silence for awhile, until a smile graced her face, and she left the shrines. Of course, she couldn't be sure if Tric was still alive, but at least he didn't die by that panther demon. But if he _did_ die, _how_ did he die? She had absolutely no idea. 

Finally, she turned to the sky and said: "Tric! Wherever you are, I hope you can hear me when I say, I hope to see you again! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I'll see you, one of these days!"

And with that, Ciria left the shrines, heading for the world. 

"Watch out reality!! Here I come to find the truth!!"

Same gave a startled cry when something suddenly pierced her armor, slicing right through her flesh and drawing blood. Sky noticed, and gasped as Same was unable to stay in the air. He just managed to hold her up, with much difficulty, and slung her over his shoulder, to which Same didn't object for once. 

Sky sent a large orb of blood red energy at the monsters, disintegrating them all, and hurriedly set course for Marbule, Same losing more and more blood constantly. She lost consciousness before they even reached Marbule.

Ciria studied the ruins lying before her as the wind brewed through her hair. She calmly walked over, and looked around the ruins of the once proud, Viper Manor, the place she had grown up. Or so she had thought.

Apparently, this Lynx guy had torn the place down, when she had been nearly 8, almost a year after Tric's 'supposed' death. From what she understood, Lynx had killed millions of people, had taken out Guardia with extreme ease, and then taken out Viper Manor. With Guardia, there had been few, close to no survivors, save for the few who managed to survive and joined the 'Radical Dreamers', a group of thieves/rebels, pent on bringing Lynx back where he came from; Hell.

Termina had heard a month before Lynx came to El Nido, and her parents had summoned up every ounce of power they could find on the whole isle, including people from Arni. That explained the ruined state of the fisher's village, because it hadn't been enough. Arni was first to go, then came the showdown in Fossil Valley, which lasted for two whole months before El Nido's forces finally lost.

Viper Manor fell quickly at the hands of Lynx's minions, but before they could go after Termina, the Radical Dreamers showed up, killing off every one of them, before any damage could be done. The Radical Dreamers sought refuge at Marbule, but a batch of them staid in Termina to guard the place. 

The damage had been done though.

Ciria sighed, and looked around sadly, noting that there was little left standing. Carefully, she walked around the huge chunks of rock, and stepped up onto the steps that used to lead to the door. Not even that was left standing. Ciria sat down, staring away from the mess of rocks. She had so many memories, but she had no idea if they were real. But, she still treasured them.

She suddenly smiled as she remembered two of her parents' friends who had come over once.

__

"Bulma!! Vegeta!!" a woman with dark brown, almost black hair and blue-gray eyes said as the two came down the stairs. 

She instantly had her mother in a bearhug, making the silver haired woman groan in surprise. 

The woman was strong, young Ciria noted. She could easily tell by the woman's muscular arms and legs. Surprisingly, the woman also carried a katana along, which was in a sheath tied on a belt. She was with a man with messy black hair and lime green eyes, who had a friendly expression on his face. Also, there was a young child standing beside the man. She had black hair like the man, but the blue-gray eyes of the woman.

"Kari ©!" Bulma said. "Can't breathe." 

The woman instantly let go. 

"Oopsie!" she said boyishly, rubbing the back of her head with a smile on her face. "Sorry about that." 

The man chuckled and said: "Some things never change." 

The young girl standing beside the man was holding her fist in her mouth, though Ciria wasn't sure why.

Ciria was hiding above the stairs, watching through the bars below the railing at the scene, slightly confused. Her father finally spoke up. 

"What have you two been up to these past few years?" 

"Not much," the man said. "Just taking it easy for awhile." 

Vegeta chuckled, and said: "I can imagine why." 

The young girl suddenly tugged at the man's hand, making him look at her. 

"What is it, Kireas?" he asked. 

The girl pointed upward, to Ciria!

The silver haired girl gulped nervously, and hurriedly stood up, before scurrying down the stairs. Her parents were going to ask her soon anyway. 

"Ciria!" Bulma said, a little angry by the sound of it. "What were you doing?" 

"Nothing," Ciria said calmly. 

The other girl was a few inches shorter than Ciria, and smiled broadly. She seemed to be extremely innocent. 

"Ciria, these are Kari, Asoret ©, and Kireas," Vegeta said calmly. 

Ciria smiled politely and curtsied. 

"Hello, how do you do?" 

Kireas looked at her oddly, and tried to copy what Ciria was doing… only to land on her butt. 

"Ouchie!!" she whined, rubbing her ass. 

Ciria tried her best not to laugh, but that was quite impossible and she simply burst out laughing.

Ciria laughed full-heartedly at the memory. Kireas soon became one of her best friends, and Kireas always enjoyed making people laugh, so with her, there was nowhere where you couldn't hear them laugh. 

Once she could stop laughing, she got up, and left the remains of Viper Manor behind her. It was about time she went out and faced the truth, no matter if she was going to like it or not. 

As Ciria left Viper Manor behind her, a pair of aquamarine eyes frowned at the girl, as she walked off. She stood on a high ledge, on one of the highest rocks of what was left of Viper Manor, pissed off as Hell. The bells on her hat jingled as the wind blew her hat to the left. With a growl, she jumped up, backflipped…

And vanished without a trace.

The wind began to shift, and an odd weather satellite high in the sky noticed this change, and began searching for the source. Once it was found, it was instantly directed to the main computer of a large construction, which only few had entered, over 2 decades ago. The large building was still in the same shape, not once patched up, seeing as there was no one to take that task.

Through the wide doors underneath the large sign, holding the building's name, into the large entryhall, where a series of statues stood of eight mighty warriors, behind a human-sized pedestal, covered in dark, dried up blood. Further ahead, the door leading to the large hall that would eventually lead to the elevator, given the choice to go up or down. Going down, with the help of a card, the lights lighting the inside of the crammed room with pure blue light. Getting out, heading forward, across the bridge, which is spanned across an endless void of machines, before finally reaching the final destination.

The door… 

Was locked… 

As always… 

Until it opened…

Something burst forth, and the door closed again. The elevator door opened, and whatever had come out, ran in, before the elevator headed up.

The time had come…

*************************

Sorry for the holdup people. I've been rather hooked up on Mega Man for quite some time. However, now I'm hooked up to "Legend of the Dragoon", and it makes me write more of this. So everybody thank Liz, because she's the one who got me to play it.

Reviews:

Underground Revolution: Sorry Liz. But hey! I got the game! ^_^ I'm addicted, I'll tell you that. Thanks. Don't worry, I'll try to write a little more DBZ again, okay?

SaiyanGal: She's watching.

KC: Thanks for the review, and please! Call me Zeal!


	6. Learning The Truth

Chapter 6

"Okay! One! Two! THREE!!" Ciria shouted, and jumped. 

She yelped out as she threatened to fall back, swinging her arms around, before finding her balance. She gave a small sigh, and looked down at the water below her. It was a long way down, and she didn't feel like climbing all the way back up. 

The sun had already reached high noon by the time that Ciria arrived at the Divine Dragon Falls. This was the first thing she was going to look for. Who knows, it might still be there. Tric and her always headed for Divine Dragon Falls if they didn't feel like collecting bellflowers, and they always played and had the best times there. 

And there had been something Tric had done here for her once. Ciria slowly made her way toward the place where that had been, jumping across rocks and climbing up small cliffs. Finally though, she made it, and entered the cave. 

What was in there, was the next difference with what she was used to.

"What in blazes is this?!?!?" Ciria demanded, staring at the pedestals located in the very center of the cave. 

She quickly ran over, to check it out.

Seven pedestals, seven different colors, poised in none other than the Dragon Emblem. One by one, the pedestals lit up, constantly in the same order. A darker aura surrounded the pedestals, giving the whole place a scary appearance, yet at the same time, a rather calming look. 

Ciria walked around it, smiling from ear to ear, until she saw it. The thing she'd been looking for.

__

"C'mon!! This way!!" the young boy said enthusiastically, pulling the younger girl along with him. 

"Triiiiiiic!!!" the girl whined, telling him she wanted to know why they were there. "Tric, what in the Dragons' name are we doing here?"

Tric hurried down the long path and finally stopped in front of a wall. 

"Tada!!" he stated proudly, showing her what he had done the previous day. 

Ciria gasped in shock at what he'd done, one hand over her heart. 

"T-T-Tric… d-d-did you do this!?" she asked, looking at him with a disbelieving look. 

Tric's proud smile vanished and he looked a little sad, but only a little. 

"Y-y-ya don't like it??" he asked, almost afraid to know. 

He was caught completely off guard when the girl suddenly flung herself at him, arms wound around his neck. 

"I LOVE it!!" Ciria said, tears of joy pouring from her eyes.

"Ya do??" 

"Of course I did, silly," Ciria whispered, finishing her memory as she stroked her fingers across the carvings in the wall. "And I still do." 

Tric had said the picture had come to him once… in a dream. And he wanted to share that dream with her.

She smiled, caressing the carvings in the wall, a message from Tric to her. It was a strange verse of some kind. It was strange, but Tric had meant every word of it. She sighed, and sat down, taking note not to lean against the carvings. 

'Okay, let's get everything straight here!' Ciria thought. 'Apparently, Tric wasn't killed by that panther demon, and I seem to have died about a year later with mom and dad. But where did everything go wrong? What on earth--' 

Ciria's eyes suddenly shot open in shock as it hit here.

"Lynx!! I've never heard of him before, while everyone else knows him so well!! Then… that means…" 

Her hands clenched into fists as rare anger showed on her face. 

"That means he's the cause of all this!!" 

With a growl, Ciria shot up, and ran out of the cave, leaving everything in the Divine Dragon Falls behind her.

She left the pedestals, the carving, and the verse embedded in the wall.

__

In the dark of the night,

When the world goes wrong

I can still make it right

I can see

So far in my dreams

I'll follow my dreams

Until they come true

"C'mon!! Damnit!! Work with me here!!" a furious voice screamed. 

The person responsible growled in anger, and kicked the machine in front of her. She cried out in pain, holding her foot in pain. 

"FUCK!!!" she cursed. 

"I-take-it-the-machine-refuses-to-work?" a familiar voice asked.

She turned and said: "Wha gave ya tha idea?!" 

"You-need-to-calm-down. I-know-you're-angry, but-this-isn't-helping-anyone." 

The woman seemed to calm, and finally gave a sigh, exasperation showing on her face. 

"I know tha," she said, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "But I jus' wish I coul' do more than jus' work with machines. I mean, sis and all her friends, including you, practally saved the world, while I'm stuck in here!"

The pale skinned warrior's lips could not be seen behind the face-cloth covering half his face, but it was clear he wasn't smiling. 

"I-have-a-feeling-I've-done-more-harm-than-good," he said. 

The woman looked up, blinking, before she sighed. 

"I told ya, tha's over! Ferget it already!"

The man folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. 

"Any-news-from-El-Nido?" 

"None at all. I'm startin' ta ge' worried…" the woman said, gently redoing her hair so the golden locks wouldn't fall in her face all the time. 

"Miss Anja!!" a voice shouted out, and the woman turned her sapphire blue eyes toward the Porre soldier running in. "Beg your pardon, Miss Anja!" he said quickly, saluting her and the man. "But we just received word from El Nido!"

Ciria closed her eyes, and pointed to in front of her. She then started spinning around and around, before stopping when she began to get dizzy. Once she opened her eyes, and the world returned to its axis, she looked at the road she was now pointing at. 

"Hydra Marshes… oh well." 

Ciria shrugged, and started along the path. 

She'd returned to Arni to 'pillage' the village, and was now walking around with a brand new katana, which was now slung around her back, and a pouch across her shoulder, filled with potions, food, and Elements she could use later on. Calmly, she got her Element Grid from underneath her sleeve and began to allocate a few Elements as she continued on her way. Hydra Marshes would either be crawling with Dwarves or PreyMantis'. Even so, she allocated Elements of all kinds, rather being safe than sorry.

Once she came to the Marshes however, she gave a yelp and ran off a safe distance. From behind a rock, she peeked around the corner, and easily spotted the huge amount of Crushers marching around, making it impossible to enter the Marshes. Ciria had a suspicious feeling they were hiding something inside the Hydra Marshes. She'd have to tell Shadow about that once she saw him again. Still, she had to figure out _what_ before she could tell Shadow anything. 

Pretending to roll up her sleeves, Ciria nodded softly. She cracked her fingers, brought her fists to her face, and blew on them for good luck. 

'I'll have to learn how to take care of myself. Shadow can do this, so I can too!!' 

She then turned to the Crushers, and noticed that two of them were talking to each other. One of them had his back turned to her, and didn't see her. Using her Innate Guide, Ciria learned that they were both a Yellow Innate. With a frown on her face, she focussed on an Element in her grid, making green sparks rise up around her. 

"AEROSAUCER!!!" she shouted, as a orb of green energy formed in front of her. 

Two discs came forth from the sides of the orb, and shot at the Crusher standing with his back to her. It slashed him into pieces before he could even respond. 

The other Crusher gasped in shock, but before he could respond, Ciria ran at him, her hand grasping the hilt of her katana, before she pulled it from its sheath, and lashed out at the Crusher's neck. The large wound bled with high ferocity, and to finish it quickly, Ciria jumped up and delivered a roundhouse kick to his neck, twisting it backwards on his neck. 

When she landed back on the ground, she looked at the damage she'd done. She smiled a little, and started running, not wanting to get caught in the act. She kept on running, until she started choking. Ciria came to an abrupt stop and looked around. 

The water of the marshes had a sick, green color and it kept on bubbling like a big pot of soup, and dark yellow fumes rose up from it, shrouding the whole marsh with it. 

'Acid mist!! Oh gods!' Ciria thought desperately, choking again on the deadly fumes. 

It hurt her lungs, badly, but the young girl refused to give in and used an Antidote Element on herself, before continuing on. She moved on, avoiding the acid waters as best as possible by hopping over rocks to the other side. But even so, the mist was really starting to hurt her lungs, nearly cracking her body's defenses. After awhile of running, she climbed up a large tree heading west, and was glad to find that the mists couldn't reach that altitude.

Ciria breathed in and out harshly, her lungs gratefully swallowing every drop of fresh air there was to offer. With a last harsh breath, she let her herself drop on her back for a moment, trying to recover from the poisonous fumes. Once she could calm down, she sat up and looked around. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen the actual tree, only a branch that was lying on the ground after having snapped no doubt. She looked up, but saw the end of the tree, which was withered and void of leaves. Still, when she placed her hand on the ground, she could _feel_ the tree was still alive and well.

How, that was a mystery.

She finally stood up and started walking for awhile. There wasn't much, seeing as the mist below her obscured her vision. She continued walking though, and --- stopped dead in her tracks.

Surfacing high above the mists of the marshes, and blocking the mist out with large walls the mist could not cross, stood a gigantic structure of majestic proportion, though it looked anything _but_ majestic. It was pitch black in color, and looked menacing, even in the light of the sun's rays. The towers were sharp and spiked at the roofs, and everywhere and nowhere, spikes rested on the walls, preventing anyone from climbing the walls. Creatures unheard of on El Nido walked back and forth on the walls, keeping watch.

"Wh-what is that?!" Ciria demanded, staring at it with wide eyes. 

"Lynx's manor," an unfamiliar voice said, making Ciria whirl around, hand on her katana. 

"Yipes!!" the girl standing there exclaimed when the katana was aimed at her small nose. 

Ciria stood like that for a moment, then sighed and pulled the blade away. 

"Don't, do that," Ciria said, sheathing the sword. 

"Sorry."

The girl was around 15 years of age, and had short blue hair and rather piercing blue eyes. She wore a red tank-top, some red shorts that could rather be considered underwear because they were so short, a light purple sash tied around her waist, some light purple sandals, and a Guldovan jacket that easily reached the edge of her shorts. Her hair was completely tied up in bands on the sides of her head in two strange pigtails. Ciria recognized it as common Guldovan style though. She also carried a staff around in her hand, with a blood red gem on top.

"That's okay. What're you doing here?" Ciria asked. 

"I always come here," she says. "I'm tryin' ta figure out a way ta ge' inside, but so far, I haven't found _anythin'_ tha can be o' help." 

"I can imagine," Ciria said, looking at the manor again. "That's Lynx's place?" 

"Yeah. The bloody bastard nearly killed me whole family," the girl said angrily. "This staff was me dad's, and he and me are a few o' the only survivors 'round. But dad's injured, so I have ta take care o' everythin'."

"You're from Zenan, aren't you?" Ciria asked out of the blue. 

"Eh? How'd ya guess??" the girl asked. 

"Your accent. I used to have a friend on Zenan who talked just like you… but he died." 

"Sorry 'bout tha." 

"No, it's okay. Anyway, what's your name?"

"Bra, Bra Milen," the girl said, pretending to tip a hat on her head. 

"Oh, I'm Ciria, Ciria Viper," Ciria said. 

"Say wha?!?!" Bra demanded. "I thought all Vipers were dead?!" 

"Well, I'm still standing, aren't I?" Ciria said, smiling. "Just a question, but I'm also confused about why I'm alive when I'm supposed to be dead as well, so, you want to help me out with finding out what's going on?"

"Haha! Sure, why not? Sounds like fun!" Bra said. "And besides, I need somethin' else ta do anyway."

*************************

Which one of you saw that one coming? And sorry about my absence, but I've been completely addicted to Mega Man,.

Reviews:

Melani: That's okay. And it'll be explained later. 

SaiyanGal: Haelles!!! [huggles Haelles plushie] ^_^

KC: o_0 Fancy explanation. Yeah, like I'd keep those guys out of this! Yeah, I know you did. Hey! Chill out a little! Who that was in Chronopolis? I'll give ya a hint; he's appeared in FOTU since the first chapter.

Ritty: o_0


	7. Survival

Chapter 7

Shadow stood on the bow of the ship, his hand clasping the rope that held one of the sails, though it was a very loose grasp. The wind was brewing through his hair, though it didn't bother him in the least. His clothes wavered in the wind as well, but again, it didn't bother him. His sapphire blue eyes stared across the vast ocean, admiring the calm and beauty of the ocean. The silvery water glittered in the sun's rays, which showed themselves only when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

His expression never faltered, even though he was as calm as could be. Every time he stood there, he felt like his worries were somehow washed away, like he was still at home, laughing and joking with his parents, helping to decorate the house. But it was not to be. His parents were dead, he knew that. Lynx took them, burned the house, and left him for dead. His parents never returned. He could barely remember how he had survived, but he knew that it had something to do with the silvery color of the water.

It was the only bit of comfort he still had.

…No it wasn't.

Gently, he pulled something from his breastpocket, staring into the glittering object. The sun reflected the glitters into his own eyes, making them spark as much as the wondrous gem he held. Carefully, as if he would break it if he held it too tightly, he caressed it with his fingers, feeling the smooth surface of the gem glide across his skin.

He carefully folded his hand around the gem, and held it to his heart, hearing it beat a gentle beat, like it always did. With a soft sigh, he put the gem back in his pocket, and simply stared at the water again.

On sudden impulse, he started singing softly to himself, a soft tune that spoke of great sadness, fear, and pain, but also of hope for the future. 

Unbeknownst to him, his voice was carried over the wind, and filled the air with the gentle song, and making everyone on the ship look at him for quite some time.

"Huh??" Ciria looked up, and blinked. 

"Hey, whassup??" Bra asked, confused. 

"Funny, I just… I thought I… no, never mind." 

Ciria waved it off, and looked back at the manor. 

"By the way," Ciria said, turning to Bra, "how'd you get here?" 

"Oh, I used a gas mask and came through the entrance ta the west. It's small, so most people tend ta miss it," Bra said with a smile.

Ciria gave a sigh and turned to the manor again. 

"Well, I'm not going in _there_ unprepared!" she said. 

"Nah, me neither," Bra said. "The bloody bastard's prolly expectin' tha ta happen. We gotta plan this right." 

"Exactly."

"Bloody Hell!!" Same cursed angrily. "Tha'll leave a mark!" 

"Careful sis," the older Black Dragon said calmly. 

He had curled horns on his head, long, messy black hair, and was dressed in black armory, unlike the other Dragons. He had no hands or feet, but had claws instead. They were as big as normal hands and feet, but were black and scaled. There was a sheath around his waist, containing a scythe. Like all other Dragons, he had large Dragon wings. His dark green eyes were set on a worried expression, but his sister didn't seem to notice.

"Like whaeva, Mura," Same mumbled, standing up. 

She shook her head to get rid of the drowsiness, and rubbed her temples a little. Sky watched for a moment, clapping his wings slightly, creating a small wind that blew away the dust that had gathered on the floor. 

"What were those things anyway?" he asked quietly. 

"Trouble, tha's wha they are!" Same said defiantly. "Looks like a lot o' things've been goin' on while we were snoozin'."

"How about we ask the sage about what happened?" Mura suggested. "He might know something." 

"Arrite! Le's go!"

"So, how to get into that manor? I mean, it's probably got top-notch security, so it's going to be hard to sneak in," Ciria mumbled softly. 

"Haha!" Bra laughed. "Maybe, but even so, there's always tha _one_ side tha ain't as guarded as the rest. We jus' gotta find it!" 

Ciria couldn't disagree, but that was easier said than done. How were they supposed to figure out which side wasn't as guarded as the rest of them? That manor was huge! It was like searching a needle in a haystack.

They were at the bar in Termina, after hours of walking back, and now it was already close to nightfall. Bra had had an extra gas mask with her, just in case she ever needed one, so Ciria was spared facing the toxic fumes for a second time. For that, she was glad.

"Ya know, if the Dragons were awake 'n' all, we migh've been able ta find a way in," Bra suddenly said. 

"Wha?? The Dragons?? You mean they would help?" Ciria asked, confused. 

Bra looked at her oddly, then looked around to make sure no one was listening, and whispered in Ciria's ear: "Sure woul'. They even helped me aunt when she was ill! Or tha's wha papa said."

Ciria nodded in understanding, though she wasn't sure what the Dragons could've done to heal somebody. According to her parents, the Dragons had gone into slumber when she'd been just a baby, so she'd never seen them before. But even so, her parents really respected the Dragons, like so many people did. The Dragons had apparently protected the El Nido archipelago for eons, and never left at all. When they had the chance to leave, they staid to protect them all, and never once did they complain.

Still, Ciria was a little skeptical about them, and she really wanted to _see_ them. If they were even real.

"'Ey Ciria! Ya woul'n't mind meetin' me dad, woul' ya?" Bra suddenly asked, smiling brightly. 

Ciria immediately dropped the subject on Dragons and turned to Bra with a polite smile. 

"Of course I wouldn't," she said calmly. 

Bra grinned and suddenly started pulling Ciria along. 

"Good! C'mon!! Le's go!! Papa migh' be able ta think o' somethin'!"

Bra continued to pull Ciria along through the city, and the young silver-haired lass watched as people tried in vain to be cheerful. Bra seemed to be one of the few people who wouldn't stop hoping and dreaming. She used her staff to push people aside, and for extra support when ascending the stairs to where once the statue of her father had stood. Now, it was plain empty.

Once at the top of the stairs, they headed for the left, where there stood a simple house, partially burned down, but it still proved a roof over one's head. Bra jingled with the handle of the door, pulled at it once, then threw her shoulder against the door. With a yelp, she flew through the door, crashing down on the floor with a loud thud. She cursed under her breath about damned doors, and got up to her feet as Ciria covered up her giggles with one hand, and holding her wrist with her other. 

"Not one word, arrite?!" Bra demanded angrily. "Damn door's busted! Gotta ge' 'nother one soon!!" 

Ciria nodded, but said nothing, still trying to keep her giggles down to a minimum. 

"C'mon," Bra said, beckoning the other girl. "Papa's in the basement. Just incase the building collapses or somethin'." 

They calmly walked down the stairs, and Bra gestured Ciria to be quiet, incase her father was asleep. Ciria understood and was as silent as she could be, and tried not to make the steps of the stairs creak too much. That seemed practically impossible though, and Ciria kept having the fear of sinking through the stairs. Once at the bottom, they walked down a short corridor, ending at a stained wooden door. Bra quietly opened the door with a creak.

"Papa?? Ye up?" she asked softly. 

Silence for a moment, before a hoarse voice mumbled: "Well, I am now. Wha's the problem?" 

Bra seemed to hesitate for a moment, then walked into the room, pulling Ciria along with her. When Ciria saw the man sitting there, she carefully hid a gasp.

Bra's father was sitting on the bed, looking in their direction, but not directly at them, as his eyes were completely dulled, and his pupils were practically invisible. So it was easy to see that he was blind. His eyes were a dull blue hue, and his skin was a single shade lighter than that of a healthy person. Long blond strands of hair trickled past his shoulders, but most of it hung on his back in a tangled mess. And… to Ciria, he looked… awfully familiar somehow.

"Papa, this's Ciria… she's a friend o' mine, but well… she's a lil' confused 'bout how she's alive when all Vipers're s'posed ta be---" Bra started, but her father raised a hand to silence her. 

"Don't," he said plainly, lowering his hand, then focussed on Ciria as best as he could. "Girl, come over here," he said, beckoning slightly with his hand, which, Ciria noted, was covered in bloodied bandages. 

Nevertheless, she walked toward the man, and waited silently. 

"Give me your hand," he said, holding up his hand. 

Ciria hesitated, studying the bloodied rags around his hand, but finally took a hold of it. A violent gasp tore from her throat the second she did.

__

"Ciria? Ciria!! Helloooooooo!!! Earth ta Ciria!!! Contact!!! Hello!!" a persistent voice rang out, accompanied by rapping knuckles on her head equally persistent. 

"OW!!! Tric?!!? What's the big deal?!?!" the young 5-year-old whined, cradling her aching head with a pained expression on his face. 

Tric was much too strong for his own good, and he barely even noticed himself. 

The 7-year-old in question simply wiped a lose strand of hair from his face, a small smile on his face. 

After that, he raked a hand through his long mane of hair, and said: "I shoul' be askin' ya the same thin'. Ye're all spazzed out!" 

Ciria frowned a little and said: "Well, you didn't have to hit me like that!" 

Tric smirked, bending down so he was face-to-face with Ciria, hands on his hips. Ciria, who was sitting on the ground, blinked up at him.

"Maybe so, but ye're cute when ye're angry!!" Tric said, teasingly. 

"WHY YOU!!!" Ciria practically screamed as Tric ran from her, laughing his head off as she chased him around the manor.

No matter how hard she tried, she could never catch him.

__

Tric looked up at the flower high up, frowning as he tapped his foot in annoyance. 

He turned to his friend, and said: "Ye wait here, I'll get it!" 

With that, he began the climb up, with Ciria watching him with frightened eyes. Multiple times did he almost fall, but never once did he let go and kept on climbing. Finally he reached the edge, grabbed the flower from its place, making sure not to damage the roots in any way. 

Finally, he smiled in satisfaction and allowed himself to slide down the hill, the flower grasped in his hand. Ciria was smiling brightly, eyes shining when he stepped up beside her, handing her the flower. They began walking again, but neither noticed what lay ahead.

A large black cat was glaring down at him, amber-colored eyes shooting daggers at the kids. Its large teeth were dripping with salvia and before either of them could do anything, the demon panther lunged. 

__

"Tric?! TRIC!!!! He'll be alright!? Won't he?!?!" Ciria asked, tears streaming down her face as the boy's father held the boy close to his chest. 

The tall man wrapped one of his arms around the smaller girl's shoulders, and hoisted her up carefully. After setting her onto the back of his dragon, he mounted himself, his son still in his arm as he spurred the creature on at full speed back to Viper Manor.

__

Ciria sat on the balcony of Viper Manor, nursing a wondrous flower greater than any she had ever seen. She was now 15 years of age, but still had not gotten over the death of her best friend. Around her neck, glittered the sapphire rose she had seen him wear so many times before. He had sworn to his mother never to take it off, but he had broken the vow and gave it to her as a sort of replacement.

But no matter what was given to her, nothing could fill the empty void that was now on the place of her heart. Still, she visited him every week, not desiring to ever forget about him, and hoping that someday, the void would finally heal and vanish from her life. But part of her mind knew that was impossible.

__

"Ciria…_" _

She whirled around, and faced the ocean. 

"Ciria??" Elvor asked.

Ciria was extremely confused, where was that voice coming from? Suddenly, without her wanting to, Ciria's thoughts shifted to that day.

A young boy age nine was walking with her through Fossil Valley, picking bellflowers as they went, when something jumped out and the boy cried out in horrifying pain. 

__

Ciria gasped audibly, as she remembered. An odd feeling suddenly began in her stomach, and began to spread all over her body. Sparks and green waves flowed upward to surround her, shielding her as the world turned black. Ciria felt like she was suddenly sinking right through the ground, and when she landed on her feet, she fell over and fainted.

"ENOUGH!!" 

The man released her hand, and dropped his hand, looking exhausted as he leaned back against the bed, panting for breath. Ciria was in no better shape, the resurfacing of all those memories almost too much for her to bear. Somehow, this man had seen it as well, and it frightened her, slightly. 

"H-h-h-how did you?!?!" she stuttered, barely able to find her voice.

"My mother taught me… she could read a person's mind at will, but mine have grown weaker, and I must have physical contact with that person…" the man said quietly. 

"Papa…??" Bra asked, utterly confused. 

"Go with her…" 

"What?!?! Papa, I can't---" the young girl started, but once again, her father cut her off. 

"She must learn the truth… the truth of what is real and false. But she will not be able to do it alone. So, go with her and help her find what she needs to know."

Bra was silent, and it was clear she was trying not to cry. Apparently, she was worried out of her mind for her father. But her father smiled reassuringly. 

"Bra, I survived the Chains of Fate for much longer than I was most likely supposed to. I'll be fine, so just go." 

Finally, Bra managed to find her strength, and straightened up, a determined look on her face. She nodded to her father, then walked over and lightly embraced the man. Her father embraced her back, and finally let her go, gently spurring her and Ciria on. With a heavy feeling in their hearts, the girls left the basement, closing the door, and heading up the stairs. Bra had to stop herself multiple times to make sure she wouldn't run back down, but finally, they left the house, possibly for a very long time.

From within his pouch, which he still had around his waist, the blind man pulled out something oval in shape, with multiple holes poked in it, and a small mouthpiece at the top. Even though he was blind, he still managed to put the mouthpiece in his mouth, and he began playing the wondrous ocarina. The melody soothed his soul greatly, and he stopped after a while.

His sister had taught him how to use the ocarina, though he could never be as good as she was… had been, goddamnit!! 

With a frustrated yell, he slammed his fist down on the nightstand, which crumbled at the sheer force behind it. He was left panting, but he calmed down again. He leaned against the headboard, eyes closed gently, and continued playing.

'Sis… watch out for those two…' Norak © thought with a saddened smile around the ocarina.

*************************

Right, I'm doing the best I can, but expect major spaces of time in between chapters.

Reviews:

KC: Not here. One of those guys, yeah. I'll try.

Bulma Briefs^Yue Lover: I'll try, but I can't promise anything. 

Melani: Bingo! And don't worry, I'm doing the best I can, okay? And the rest will be explained on the way. 


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